Mixing kettle



C. R. RECHTIN Dec. 9, 1969 MIXING KETTLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1968 I NvsN-raR CLARENCE R; P550770! c. R. RECHTIN 3,482,823

Dec. 9, I969- MIXING KETTLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1968 Iuvgmfbe Cumsuca R. RECHTIN uarl ej Dec.9,1969' c. RECHTIN 5 3 MIXING KETTLE Filed March 8, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 I lvvElvTola Cumsuc: R.,REOHTIW A ceorney United States Patent 3,482,823 MIXING KETTLE Clarence R. Rechtin, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Hamilton Kettles Division of Brighton Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 711,596 Int. Cl. B01f 7/27 US. Cl. 259-102 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The mixer kettle, whether of a jacketed or unjacketed type, utilizes a normal mixing paddle along with independent mixing mechanisms adjacent the normal mixer for insuring complete intermixing of the ingredients within the kettle. Said normal mixing element and adjacent additional elements being driven by a single motor in a given direction and which intermediate mixing devices are, in addition, operated from said driven motor in a direction independently of their initial movement and in a direction and independent movement through a planetary gear system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the mixing kettle of the present invention is the provision of a plurality of rotating mixing elements driven by a power unit.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a mixing kettle or the like together with its mixing elements which are independently operated through mechanisms driven by said single power unit or source.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a planetary gear mechanism for operating certain of the mixing elements independently of their actuation by the single power unit or source.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention should be readily apparent by reference to the following specification considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and it is to be understood that any modifications may be made in the exact structural details there shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a mixing kettle having associated therewith a driving mechanism for driving the mixing elements within the kettle and effecting the mix ing of the ingredients, also within the kettle.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the mixing kettle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical, sectional view through the kettle and its drive mechanism as seen from line 33 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal, transverse, sectional view through the mechanism as seen from line 4-4 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a transverse, sectional view through the mech anism of FIG. 3 and particularly through the driving gearing for the mixing elements, as seen from line 5-5 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a further transverse, sectional view through the kettle and its mechanism taken on a plane intermediate the planes of FIGS. 4 and 5 and as seen from line 6-6 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a scraper mechanism for maintaining the sides or inner surface of the kettle free of sticking ingredients and which scraper forms a detail of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, sectional view of a portion of the kettle as seen from line 8-8 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a vertical, sectional view of a mixing kettle of the present invention, with certain of the parts in elevation instead of in section, illustrating a modification of the construction.

Throughout the several views of the drawings similar reference characters are employed to denote the same or similar parts.

A mixing kettle, whether of the jacketed or unjacketed type, is old with however entirely different means for effecting operation of the stirring or mixing elements, per se, and in which prior structures the mixing was effected by a rotatable stirring or mixing blade about a vertical axis parallel with the axis of the kettle and/or said mixing was done against stationary .members substantially parallel with one another and the mixing blade paddle. By the present invention such mixing is effected by the present mechanism except said additional mixing elements are movable relative to the kettle and at the same time there is effected a mixing in a vertical direction along the axis of certain of the mixing elements and which vertical mixing, therefore, is effected throughout the substantially concentric circle areas of previous mixers and wherefore such concentric circular areas are intermixed.

Specifically, as illustrated, particularly, in FIG. 3 the kettle of the present invention includes a receptacle 10 including a substantialy semi-spherical lower portion 11 and a substantially Vertical cylindrical portion 12. The upper end of the kettle straight or cylindrical portion 12 is outwardly turned to form or provide a bead 13 at the upper end thereof.

As illustrated in both FIGS. 1 and 2 the kettle 10 may be provided with a jacket 14 substantially identically semi-spherical formed with the semi-spherical portion 11 and with said jacket 14 having its upper end 15 Welded or otherwise permanently secured to the outer surface of the kettle 10 at approximately the joiner thereof of the semi-spherical portion 11 and cylindrical portion 12. The relative dimensions of the semi-spherical portion 11 of the kettle 10 and the jacket 14 are such that a space 16 is provided between the jacket 14 and kettle lower portion 11 into which is introduced and withdrawn steam or other heating elements as is usual practice.

The mixer of the present invention whether of the jacketed or unjacketed type is supported by a plurality, preferably three, legs 17, 18 and 19 which are respectively threaded into an attaching casting 20 secured either to the external surface of the kettle bottom portion 11 or the external surface of the jacket 14 as clearly illustrated in FIG. 1.

The open upper end 21 of the kettle 10, interiorly of the bead 13, is closed by a cylindrical hollow drum-like member including a substantially circular top 22 from the periphery of which depends a cylindrical skirt 23 terminating in a foot 24 which has its undersurface, preferably, arcuately formed to engage with the bead 13 and thereby effect a relative leak-proof seal between the said cover and kettle, per se.

The upper surface of the cover top portion 22 has secured thereto the top member 26 of a transverse bracket indicated in general by the reference numeral 27. The transverse bracket 27 has depending from its undersurface, inwardly of its ends, depending vertical members 28 and 29 which have integral therewith at their lower ends angular outwardly projecting members 30 and 31.

The said vertical members 28 and 29 through their respective outwardly extending angular or foot portion and 31 are secured to a metalic shelf-like member, respectively, 32 and 33 which in turn have angularly related gussets 34 and 35 with one leg thereof welded or otherwise secured to the outer surface of the kettle cylindrical portion 12. Carried by the bracket horizontal member 26 on its outer or upper side is a gear case or the like 36 in which is disposed a pair of interconnected bevel gears, including, a horizontal bevel gear 37 and a vertical disposed bevel pinion or gear 38. The bevel gear pinion 38 is secured to a shaft 39 extending from an electric motor 40 and through which the said bevel gears 37 and 38 are driven.

The motor 40 is secured through a flange 41 to the gear casing 36 and said gear casing 36 is provided with a bottom wall 42 on which is disposed the lower end of a sleeve or hub 43 integral with and depending from the horizontal bevel gear 37.

Secured to the exterior surface of the gear casing 36 bottom wall 42 is the flange 44 of an intermediate or connecting bracket 45 which, is turn, has a lower flange 46. The flange 46 has projecting therethrough clamping or securing screws 47 and 48 which in turn pass through the top plate 26 of the supporting bracket 27.

Disposed within the kettle cover top 22 is a bearing member and support 49 providing the main bearing for the main mixer shaft or stub shaft 50 which shaft is secured to the horizontal bevel gear hub 43 to depend therefrom. The bearing hub and support 49 is secured against rotation by the intermediate bracket securing bolts 47 and 48.

The main or stub shaft 50 has secured to it, through a coupling sleeve 51 and securing screws 52 and 53, the main mixer shaft 54 which at its lower end has secured thereto the mixing element, paddle or blade 55 having a longitudinal form, per se, and an elevational form conforming to the inner surface of the kettle semi-spherical body portion 11 and cylindrical or sleeve portion 12 from a point just below the upper end of the said cylindrical or sleeve portion wall 12. The mixer element 55 is secured to the shaft 54 at its lower end and is further braced through braces 56 and 57 which angularly extend between the shaft 54 and mixer blade or body portion 55. The said mixer blade 55 has some width as illustrated in elevational and transverse cross-section, respectively, in FIGS. 6 and 4.

The bearing hub portion has secured thereto through a set screw or the like 58 a gear 59 of considerable outside diameter and wherefore said gear is held stationary and is the center for a pair of planetary gears as will presently be made clear.

Mounted around the said stationary gear 59 is a hollow gear casing 60 of a plan as illustrated in FIG. 5 and a vertical cross-section as illustrated in FIG. 3. The gear casing 60 is mounted on ball-bearings 61 carried by the stationary bearing member 49 and the said open end of the gear casing 60 is closed by a cover 62 through screws 63 which extend through the cover inwardly of its edge into the depending flange of the gear casing 60. The cover 62 is provided with a depending central hub 64 pressed on, or at least closely engaging the surface of the main drive shaft 52 just above the coupling sleeve 51, and is secured for rotation with the said main drive shaft through a key 65.

From the foregoing it will be noted that rotation of the main drive shaft 50 will rotate the mixer element 55 and :at the same time the planetary gear housing or casing 60.

The said gear housing or casing 60 and its cover 62 are each provided at diametrically opposite points from the drive shaft 50 with bearings 66-67 and 68-69 for subshafts 70-71 each has secured thereto a planetary gear 72 and 73 which shafts extend beyond their respective lower ball bearing 67 and 69 to have secured thereto through coupling sleeves 74 and 75 additional mixer shafts 76 and 77, each of which is a portion of a screw type blade 4 78 and 79 which, as will be presently made clear, elfects the movement of the materials being mixed.

As noted above the main mixing element 55 has its outer surface inwardly spaced from the outer surface of the kettle semi-spherical body portion and cylindrical body portion to provide the space 80 between them. Mounted in this space and carried by the mixer element 55 are scrapers 81 which may take any suitable or desirable form. Specifically, and as shown in FIG. 7, the said scraper 81 comprises a series of scraper blades 82 each having a substantially semi-circular hub 83 from which extends the blade body portion to terminate in a scraping edge 84.

The said scraping blades are formed of one of the tougher synthetic materials with their hubs and blades super-imposed on one another and a keyway 85 vertically of an aperture in the aligned hubs 83 so that the said blades are secured to a shaft 86 mounted in end bearing plates 87 and 88, respectively, at the upper and lower ends of the scraper and secured to and carried by the outer surface of the main mixer element or blade 55. The said shafts of the scraper elements has connected therewith one end of a coil spring 89 which maintains the scraper edges 84 of the scraper blades against the inner surface of the kettle.

From the foregoing it is believed the operation of the kettle and its mixing members is obvious since rotation of the motor 40 will through the bevel gears 37 and 38 rotate the coupled shafts 50 and 54 and thereby the mixer element 55 in a given direction. At the same time the drive shift 50 through its key 65 will rotate the planetary gear housing or casing 60 and its cover 62 in the same direction and will thereby rotate or actuate the mixer shafts 76 and 77.

Since the planetary central gear 59 is held against rotation by the bearing member 49 it will not rotate with the casing 60 and its cover 62 but in view of the engagement of the teeth of the planetary pinions 72 and 73 with the teeth of the stationary planetary gear 59 the said mixer shafts 76 and 77 will, respectively, be rotated about its own axis while being rotated relative to the kettle along with the main mixer blade 55.

The independent rotation of the mixer shafts 76 and 77 causes the rotation of the helical screws 78 and 79, integral therewith, for thereby effecting the vertical movement of the ingredients surrounding the same either vertically upwardly or vertically downwardly depending upon the direction of extent of the screw blades with respect to the shafts.

It is to be understood that instead of the screw blades 78 and 79, each of the shafts 76 and 77 may be provided a helical screw agitator and accomplish a still greater mixing of the ingredients within the kettle.

From the foregoing it is believed now evident that there has been provided a kettle and mixing mechanism for effecting a complete intermix of ingredients within the kettle, not only vertical layers, as effected but the mixer elements rotating in concentric circles, but simultaneously vertically by the mixing screws or blades vertically of the kettle and its concentric areas of mixture.

From the foregoing, also, it will be noted that the objects initially set forth have been completely fulfilled.

Obviously the entire cover for the kettle is removable in order to charge and discharge the kettle but for convenience the said kettle top 22 is slit transversely as at 90 with said severed portion 22a connected with the portion 22b of the cover by hinges 91 and 92.

This structure is more completely illustrated in FIG. 8 and wherein the cover section 22a is shown in its open or charging and discharging position at 93.

The structure illustrated in FIG. 9 is substantially identical with that illustrated in FIG. 3 except that the mixing shafts or elements 76a and 77a, instead of being provided with single vein screws 78 and 79 are provided with, respectively, screws blades 94 and 95 and 96 and 97.

In other words, the screw blades 94 and 95 associated with the mixer element or shaft 76 respectively upwardly and downwardly actuate the ingredients to more fully and completely effect an intermix of the said ingredients. By the same token the screw blades 96 and 97 associated with the mixer element or shaft 77a respectively upwardly and downwardly actuate the ingredients for thereby again completely intermixing the ingredients within the kettle.

From the foregoing, it will now be appreciated that the ingredients within the kettle and particularly said ingredients surrounding the central drive shaft 54 will be completely mixed instead of remaining in a relatively stationary or dead position or condition as was frequently the case with prior structures.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mixing kettle of the class described the combination of a receptacle including a bottom and upwardly extending wall, said kettle having an open upper end as defined by the upper ends of the receptacle walls, a cover having a hollow interior for said open upper end of the kettle, said hollow interior of the cover being above the receptacle walls, a bridge-like support extending entirely across the cover and beyond the said upper ends of the receptacle walls, securing means at opposed points on said walls of said receptacle outwardly of its open upper end, cooperating means on said bridge-like support cooperating with the receptacle securing means for securing the bridge in operative position and simultaneously, removably, securing the cover to the open upper ends of the kettle, means depending from said bridge-like support and kettle cover substantially centrally of said cover and including a bearing journal having a central bearing aperture, a driving shaft rotatably mounted in said journal aperture to project therebelow to be Within the kettle walls and said driving shaft projecting above said cover and bridge-like support to be above the said bridgelike support, means carried by said bridge-like support laterally of the driving shaft and connected with the upwardly projecting portion of the driving shaft for rotating and driving said shaft, a central mixer shaft secured to the downwardly projecting lower end of the driving shaft, an external gear secured to the bearing journal and fixed against rotation, a housing around said fixed gear and within the hollow interior of the cover above the open upper end of the kettle keyed or otherwise secured to central driving shaft for movement therewith, planetary mixing shafts carried by said housing for movement therewith during rotation of the housing with the central mixing shaft, and means connecting the said planetary shafts with the fixed external gear for effecting rotary movement of the said shafts and material within the kettle and intermediate the central mixing shaft and receptacle upstanding walls.

2. In a mixing kettle of the class described as disclosed in claim 1 characterized by, said kettle wall open upper end having the same outwardly flared, and said cover including a downwardly extending wall, immediately above the receptacle wall, with said cover wall free end flared to contact said receptacle wall outward flair and said contacting wall flair portions being corresponding arcuately formed to provide a seal between the said cover and container walls.

3. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, said housing rotatable on said fixed journal member including gears, each connected with a planetary mixing shaft, for effecting the independent rotation of each planetary mixing shaft while moving with the housing around the central mixing shaft.

4. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, said housing rotatable on said fixed journal including gears, each connected with a planetary mixing shaft, for effecting the independent rotation of each planetary mixing shaft while moving with the housing around the central mixing shaft, and baflles on said planetary shafts for effecting a vertical movement of the materials within the container during their planetary and rotary movement with the central mixing shaft.

5. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, said housing rotatable on said fixed journal including gears, each connected with a planetary mixing shaft, for effecting the independent rotation of each planetary mixing shaft while moving with the housing around the central mixing shaft, and baflles on said planetary shafts for effecting a vertical movement of the materials within the container during their planetary and rotary movement with the central mixing shaft, and said vertical moving baffles on each of said planetary shafts being in the form of a helical screw to effect the said vertical movement of the material.

6. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, said cover supporting bridgelike support being of less dimension transversely than the cover and whereby portions of the cover extend outwardly of the bridge-like support while the remaining portion of said cover is disposed below said bridge-like sup port, and means hinging, at least, one of said projecting portions of the cover to the remaining portion of said cover and whereby said portion of the cover may be actuated upwardly of the container open end to provide an opening for charging the container.

7. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, a mixing member carried by the central mixer shaft and corresponding to the interior configuration of the receptacle, said planetary mixing shafts depending to a point above said mixing member on the central mixer shaft, and cutter elements secured to and extending diagonally of the central mixer shaft to effect the mixing of the material between the lower ends of the said planetary mixing shafts and the said mixing element on the central mixer shaft.

8. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, a mixing member carried by the central mixer shaft and corresponding to the interior configuration of the receptacle, said planetary mixing shafts depending to a point above said mixing member on the central mixer shaft, cutter elements secured to and extending diagonally of the central mixer shaft to effect the mixing of the material between the lower ends of the said planetary mixing shafts and the said mixing element on the central mixer shaft, and said housing r0- tatable about the axis of the fixed journal-bearing member including gears, each connected with a planetary mixing shaft, for effecting the rotation of each planetary mixing shaft while moving with the housing around the said central mixing shaft.

9. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, a mixing member carried by the central mixer shaft and corresponding to the interior configuration of the receptacle, said planetary mixing shafts depending to a point above said mixing member on the central mixer shaft, cutter elements secured to and extending diagonally of the central mixer shaft to effect the mixing of the material between the lower ends of the said planetary mixing shafts and the said mixing element on the central mixer shaft, said housing rotatable about the axis of the fixed journal-bearing member including gears, each connected with a planetary mixing shaft, for effecting the rotation of each planetary mixing shaft while moving with the housing around the said central mixer shaft, and baffles on said planetary shaft for effecting a vertical movement of the materials within the container during their planetary and rotary movement with the central mixing shaft.

10. In a mixing kettle of the class described as set forth in claim 1 characterized by, a mixing member carried by the central mixer shaft and corresponding to the interior configuration of the receptacle, said planetary mixing shafts depending to a point above said mixing member on the central mixer shaft, cutter elements secured to and extending diagonally of the central mixer shaft to effect the mixing of the material between the lower ends of the said planetary mixing shafts and the said mixing element on the central mixer shaft, said housing rotatable about the axis of the fixed journal-bearing member including gears, each connected with a planetary mixing shaft, for efiecting the rotation of each planetary mixing shaft while moving with the housing around the said central mixer shaft, and a bafile on each planetary shaft, in the form of a helical screw, to effect a vertical movement of the material while the said mixing shafts are being rotated by the planetary gears.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT W. JENKINS, Primary Examiner 

